From KCRA.com (a story from my neck of the woods):

by Claire Doan

Police say two self-proclaimed professional panhandlers were raking in $180 an hour.  They say they even sent thousands of dollars overseas.

Police say in just two hours a couple, Marian and Elena Hornea, made $265 just by panhandling.  Money doesn’t grow on trees, but money is easy to get at this corner in Modesto, where police seized all the cash from two self-proclaimed Romanian gypsies who say begging is their job.

They have an organized log; they have times of day that work best.  What works best, says the couple, is their children.  They told police they use their five-year-old and seven-year-old to make money.  To use a child scam is really unconscionable.

Some panhandlers say the couple are ruining it for people who really do need help.

Police found the couple with money transfer receipts of $3,700 sent to relatives in Romania, and that they have panhandled here many times.  Police say it is better to give to charities than directly to those on the street.

You can rest assured that these two entrepreneurs have already signed up for every entitlement and bit of Free Cheese provided by the City of Modesto, State of Fornicalia and the federal government.